A Rough Start
If you are just getting started in fly tying, you have found the right post. My fly tying journey has not been a steady ride. I bought a starter fly tying kit when I was a teenager and just learning to fly fish. The kit came with a cheap vise, some basic tools, and a terrible how-to book with grainy black and white photos. It was the equivalent of Ikea instructions for tying flies. Several years later, I took a beginner fly tying course at a local fly shop. Upon completion of the class, I dropped a ridiculous amount of money on tools and materials I didn’t yet know what to do with.
Important Advice
“If you think of trout flies in terms of styles, rather than viewing them as a vast scattering of individual patterns, each of which you must patiently-or impatiently-learn to tie, then both your tying and your trout fishing will be greatly simplified.”
Dave hughes
The best purchase I made that day was Dave Hughes’ book, Essential Trout Flies. Unfortunately, when I got the book home, I skipped over Chapter 1. That is where Hughes explained, “If you think of trout flies in terms of styles, rather than viewing them as a vast scattering of individual patterns, each of which you must patiently-or impatiently-learn to tie, then both your tying and your trout fishing will be greatly simplified.” I really wish I would have taken that advice early on.
I thought the fly tying class qualified me to jump ahead in the book. So I opened to Chapter 3 and started trying to tie dry flies. After just a few evenings behind my vice, I began getting frustrated because my flies didn’t look anything like Dave’s. I decided not to persevere and master the traditional dry fly pattern. Instead, I skipped to chapter 4 and tried nymphs.
Tying nymphs went a little better, but each fly seemed like a struggle. I hung in there for a while and started to fill my fly box with some of the saddest looking patterns ever tied. Some trout were even fooled by my earliest creations. Tying felt tiresome. I never took the time to master any one pattern before trying another one. Every attempt at tying a new fly was a painstaking process because I was not mastering any one style of fly. Pretty soon I stopped tying consistently. Eventually, I just stopped tying flies altogether. Every so often I would try to start again, but I would quickly get overwhelmed by trying to tie too many different things at once and end up quitting. This sounds a lot like my exercise habits.
Changing My Approach
During the great shut down of 2020, like many people, I had a lot more time at home than ever before. So I recommitted myself to tying flies consistently. I changed my approach and found success. Tying flies became enjoyable because my flies started to look like they are supposed to! I began to master styles of flies by tying them over and over again. Here are ten things I did to to find success along my fly tying journey:
Tip # 1 – Invest in a Quality Fly Tying Vise
For years I had been tying flies on the cheap vise that came with the starter kit. I thought, “The vise just holds the hook, right? I don’t need to spend more money.” This logic is similar to justifying the use of a crappy fly reel. The reasoning is that it “just holds the line.” Believe me, you will have a much better experience if you make the investment in a quality vise.
Affordable Options
You don’t need to spend a fortune on a high end vise. But, make sure you have something that firmly holds a hook. It should also be easy to work with. The price range for a solid entry level vise is between $50 and $200. I opted for the Griffin Montana Mongoose. It is on the higher side of that range. I liked the fact that it had a full 360 degree rotation and a lifetime guarantee. So far, I have not felt the need to upgrade this vise. (Although, I have had my eye on the Renzetti Presentation 3000). For now, though, my Griffin vise is working great.
Take a Deeper Dive
For an in depth look at high quality entry level vises, check out what the guys from Fly Fish Food have to say. They provide insights that will help inform your decision. They take a deeper dive into this topic that will really help inform your decision. These guys can steer you in the right direction to help you find a quality and affordable vice.
Tip # 2 – Start With Essential Fly Tying Tools
Sharp Fly Tying Scissors
Once you have your vise picked out, you will want to focus on the essential tools you will need. Aside from the vise, a sharp pair of fly tying scissors will be your most important tool. There is no need to break the bank on scissors. You just need them to be sharp. Dr. Slick Co. makes a wide variety of sizes and styles to choose from.
Bobbin & Threader
Next, you will want at least one good bobbin and threader. I love the Ergo Bobbin by Loon Outdoors because it feels great in my hand. It is convenient to have a few bobbins loaded with your most commonly used spools, but you certainly can get started with just one. If you really want to go high end here, or you struggle with dexterity, check out a Rite Bobbin by Merco Products.
Whip Finisher, Bodkin & Hackle Pliers
Finally, you will want to make sure you have a whip finish tool, a bodkin and hackle pliers. I honestly do not have strong recommendations, as these tools are pretty basic. There are a lot of different styles of hackle pliers. I still use a very basic pair from the kit I started with.
If you don’t want to mess around buying these tools individually, Loon Outdoors sells an awesome core tool kit. But if you are on a budget, you can find less expensive tools. They will do the job just fine. If you have to choose where to invest your money, my recommendation is to splurge on the vice and spend less on the tools. There are definitely other tools you will eventually graduate to. To begin, however, I suggest sticking with just the essentials.
Tip # 3 – Ensure You Have Ample Lighting
You have to be able to see what you are doing when tying files. Ample lighting will help you to see fine details. I started with a standard desk light and then I upgraded to an Alert FTL230 Bench Light. This upgrade was a game changer. The powerful dual 220 lumen LED lights helped me to see everything I was doing. I honestly have not found any other product I could recommend over this light. If you want the same light with a magnifier, check out the Alert FTL 130.
Tip # 4 – Find a Practical and Comfortable Fly Tying Area
I did not have a practical or comfortable place to work early in my fly tying journey. My wife was thrilled when I spread all my stuff out on the kitchen table. I then started hacking away on a Parachute Adams. She was especially appreciative when one of the kids would find a streamer hook on the floor and start playing with it. In all seriousness, not having a place to work was a huge barrier.
After the hook incident, I was relegated to work in my unfinished basement. It was cold, damp, and hospitable only to the giant wolf spiders who took up residence down there. This unpleasant work space was not helping me to tie consistently. I avoided going to the basement to tie as much (or more) as I did to run on the rickety treadmill we also kept down there.
Since that time, I was able to finish my basement. With my wife’s approval, I created a small work space down there. This area has now become my little sanctuary within my own home. You can find me there most evenings tying flies and listening to the Troutbitten Podcast. The beer fridge is just a few paces from this area too. Depending on what night of the week that photo was taken, there may have been a hazy IPA in that mug. I’m as particular with my beer as I am with my fly tying materials.
Tip # 5 – Build Your Confidence by Tying Junk Flies
It’s been said that fishing mop flies is like riding a moped—fun to do until your friends find out! I’ve heard that reference about other things too, but I won’t go there. This is a family blog. I won’t spend much time on this tip. Junk flies are generally easy to tie. I had a lot of fun early on tying mops, squirmy worms, and Eggstacy Egg patterns. Early success with junk flies will give you confidence to tackle more challenging patterns down the line. Let’s face it, unless you are some kind of elitist, you need these patterns in your box anyway!
Tip # 6 – YouTube is Your Best Resource for Fly Tying
With all due respect to Dave Hughes and other authors of fly tying books, YouTube has made learning to tie easier than ever before. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a YouTube video is worth a million. The quality and quantity of the fly tying videos available on YouTube is incredible. My only caution here is to not try to tie every cool pattern you find. Remember what I skipped in chapter 1 of Dave Hughes’s book? It is still critical to master styles of flies! So try to find videos of flies in the style you are working on. Once you have mastered tying that style, move on to the next one! If you are not careful, YouTube can lead you down the path Hughes warned about in viewing flies as a, “vast scattering of individual patterns.”
YouTube Subscription Recommendations
I am likely only scratching the surface here, but here are just a few recommendations of YouTube channels to follow:
Trout Strike: Of course I have to plug my own YouTube Channel
Fly Fish Food: Fly Fish Food! Fly tying tutorials and some odd’s and end fishing stuff. www.flyfishfood.com
Oholi’s Flies: Fly fishing and fly tying around the globe.
Holsinger’s Fly Shop: Holsinger’s Fly Shop is a channel dedicated to bringing you high quality fly tying and fly fishing instructional videos.
In the Riffle: Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Video Media Hub.
Tip # 7 – Master One Style of Fly at a Time
I can’t stress this one enough. After you’ve had your fill of tying junk flies, it’s time to choose which style you want to work on next. This part is completely up to you. Whether you start with dry flies, nymphs, or streamers, stay disciplined in working toward mastery of a given style. I started with euro style nymphs. They are fairly easy to tie. The thread frenchie was the first pattern I mastered. Once I had that down, I had the skills to tie just about any euro nymph. Focus your goal on uniformity. Once you get the proportions down, you will want your flies to start to look like little clones of one another.
Tip # 8 – Find a Way to Organize Your Fly Tying Materials
Keeping your tools and materials organized can be quite a challenge. This is another reason why I suggest starting with just the essential tools and materials. If you buy everything at once, you may struggle to keep it all organized. RIO has put together a great one minute video that can help you start this process.
The Renzetti Soft Foam Caddy is a great initial investment. It will sit firmly on just about any surface. It will house all of your essential fly tying tools and keep them in one place. There are countless plastic drawer systems available on Amazon. These are handy for storing a variety of tying materials. I have a small one on my tying desk and a larger system under my desk for bigger items. The last thing I will recommend is a silicone bead pad. Tungsten beads tend to roll around quite a bit. The silicone pads help keep hooks and beads from ending up on the floor. Perhaps if I had one of these early in my journey, my wife would not have relegated me to the unfinished basement.
Tip 9 – Develop a Checklist of Flies You Want to Tie
Once you are comfortable with tying a variety of styles, I recommend starting to visualize your ultimate fly box. I started by making a list of confidence flies. From there, I listed flies that I knew I needed based on my knowledge of the streams I fish. I organized them into a chart. This chart helps me stay focused on what I need when I sit down to tie. You will notice my confidence flies are in bold because I always want to have enough of those in my box. Honestly, I have never been able to have every one of these flies in my box at any one time, but it does give me something to work toward. It also helps me from being distracted by the latest and greatest pattern. Click on the chart below to print it.
Tip 10 – Tie Regularly and Appreciate the Journey
Like fly fishing, fly tying is something that will provide you with wonderful opportunities to grow and learn for a lifetime. Take your time and appreciate the journey. As your tying improves, so will your fishing. Catching wild trout on patterns that you tied yourself can be extremely rewarding. While I have made significant progress in my journey the past few years, I still have a long way to go. There are many styles I still have yet to master or even explore. Ultimately, I like fishing more than tying. But my tying has helped me become a much more effective angler and maximize my time on the water.
Bonus Tips
Let’s face it, fly tying can be expensive. If you are getting into this to save money initially, you need patience. Your initial investment takes time to pay off. I do believe that over time, you will spend less. To do that, however, you need to tie consistently! Investing a bunch of money into fly tying tools and materials is frustrating. It feels worse if your fly boxes are empty when the season starts.
Consider Selling Some of Your Flies to Support Your Fly Tying Habit
One way to counter some of the costs of your tools and materials is to sell some of the flies you have mastered. This method helps to offset some expenses. By doing this, it keeps you tying consistently and it off sets some of the costs. You don’t have to go crazy. Start by selecting one pattern that you tie well and produce somewhat quickly. Tie a dozen, take a nice photo or two of them and create a listing on eBay. You’ll be amazed at how many flies you will sell. You likely won’t put Fulling Mill out of business. However, orders will keep you tying. The extra money will help you support your fly tying habit!
Spend more time on the water.
Have a great day!
Jeff Smecker
*Make sure to leave a comment below!
Great article but….as a former commercial tyer one bit of information you left out regarding the selling of flies either on eBay, Facebook or at a local shop. There is a 10% federal excise tax that must be collected and paid by the tyer on each and every fly the tyer sells to an individual or business. The tax is paid quarterly. Failure to do do could cost the tyer back tax, fines and interest. This is experience talking. Happened to me many years ago.
I’ve only just found this essay, and I can’t disagree with any of it because I’ve said the same to my own students. You do need a good vice but you don’t need to pay ridiculous amounts. The top end vices might be precision engineering but so is my lawn mower which cost half the price of some vices. I recommend spending more on the best scissors, the sharpest and finest tips, e.g. tungsten carbide scissors produced by Tiemco or C&F Design. I also recommend going for any bobbin holder with a ceramic tube. Cheap whipping tools and hackle pliers will do the job and you can make your own bodkin. Mine is a sewing needle mounted in a piece of 5 mm dowel. Agree, have your workspace well organised and clean, and I also lay out my working tools and materials in a surgical manner on the desk so I know exactly where they are when I need them. Tools are stored in caddy when not in use. Easy to make your own caddy. It’s a side business for me, making custom caddies out of pine, or sometimes our unique timber such as Huon Pine and Tasmanian Blackwood. There are lots of good fly tying tutorials on Youtube. I would add Davie McPhail (Scotland) to the list – outstanding videos. Lastly, I agree with the David Hughes’ quote but would extend it to say “If you think of trout flies in terms of them being food …”. Cheers, Graham, Tasmania.